
HURRICANE IGOR FORECAST 5
TROPICAL FORECAST CENTER
11:09 PM EDT SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2010
AT 11:00 PM EDT/0300Z...THE EYE OF HURRICANE IGOR WAS LOCATED NEAR 17.6 N 47.8 W OR 1005 MILES EAST OF THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS. IGOR WAS MOVING TO THE WEST NEAR 13 MPH...AND THIS GENERAL MOTION WITH A TURN TO THE WEST-NORTHWEST WITH A SLOWER RATE OF SPEED IS EXPECTED WITHIN THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 150 MPH. IGOR IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE...SOME FURTHER STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST AND IGOR COULD BECOME A CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE ON MONDAY. ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 935 MB/27.61 IN.
IGOR IS NOW THE STRONGEST HURRICANE ACCORDING TO WIND SPEED IN SEVERAL YEARS. IGOR CONTINUES TO LOOK VERY IMPRESSIVE WITH DVORAK ESTIMATES OF 6.5/6.5 AND ADT OF 6.6 THEREFORE IGOR HAS INCREASED FURTHER TO 130 KTS. IGOR IS CLOSE TO CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE STRENGTH. I/M FORECASTING FOR IGOR TO CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN FOR THE NEXT 12 TO 18 HOURS THEN IGOR WILL BEGIN TO GRADUALLY WEAKEN AS IGOR WILL GO THROUGH EYEWALL REPLACEMENT CYCLES...BUT IGOR WILL REMAIN A MAJOR HURRICANE THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD.
INITIAL MOTION 270/11 KTS. FORECASTING THINKING REMAINS UNCHANGED FROM THE PREVIOUS FORECAST...IGOR WILL FOLLOW THE RIDGE AND IGOR WILL MOVE TO THE WEST AND THEN TO THE WEST-NORTHWEST DURING MOST OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. THIS FORECAST TRACK CURRENTLY WILL TAKE IGOR NORTH OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS AND IT IS VERY CLOSE TO NHC FORECAST TRACK.
FORECAST POSITION AND INTENSITY:
13/03Z 17.6 N 47.8 W 130 KTS
13/15Z 18.0 N 49.4 W 140 KTS
14/03Z 18.5 N 51.3 W 135 KTS
14/15Z 19.2 N 53.0 W 135 KTS
15/03Z 20.1 N 54.5 W 130 KTS
16/03Z 22.5 N 57.5 W 125 KTS
17/03Z 24.5 N 61.0 W 115 KTS
18/03Z 27.0 N 64.0 W 105 KTS
JACKSON


















